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Colorado House gives first OK to bill banning concealed weapons on campus

By Tim HooverThe Denver Post

Posted:
02/15/2013 08:06:17 PM MST

Updated:
02/15/2013 10:01:49 PM MST

Continuing a roll by Democratic-backed gun bills in the legislature, the House on Friday night gave initial approval to a bill that bans concealed weapons on college campuses.

House Bill 1226 was the fourth and last gun bill the Democratic-controlled House gave Friday in what turned into a historic and all-day deliberation over gun control.

"Students and guns are a bad mix," said Rep. Claire Levy, D-Boulder, the sponsor of the bill, adding that college student engage in risky behaviors like heavy drinking and drug use.

"As the research shows, you don't need a gun on a college campus to be safe," Levy said, saying data overwhelmingly shows students are at low risk of violent crime on campus.

But Republicans like Rep. Chris Holbert, R-Parker, said it was offensive to suggest that college-aged men and woman weren't mature enough to carry concealed weapons.

"This is not K-12," Holbert said. "There's no kid who has a concealed carry permit. There are adults."

And while Levy said statistics continually show college campuses are some of the safest places in the nation, Rep. Cheri Gerou, R-Evergreen, shot back, "Don't you dare tell me that college cannot be a violent place."

The Colorado legislature in 2003 passed the Concealed Carry Act, which states a person with a permit may carry a concealed weapon "in all areas of the state," except for a narrow list of exceptions, such as federal properties, K-12 schools, the state Capitol.

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But the law didn't include colleges, and three University of Colorado students sued in 2008 in a case that went all the way to the state Supreme Court, which unanimously ruled the CU Board of Regents overstepped its authority by banning permitted concealed weapons on campuses.

House Bill 1226 would specifically state that concealed weapons are banned in any building or structure used by a public institution of higher education. Further, the bill would ban conceal-carry in any stadium or arena used by public colleges or at outdoor events on campuses.

The Democratic-controlled House approved the bill on a voice vote, and it still must get a recorded vote before it can go to the Democratic-led Senate.

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